Two Down in One Day: F-15E and A-10 Lost Over Iran
Related: F-15E Down Over Iran — Crew Fate Unknown Quick Facts Date April 3, 2026 Operation Epic Fury (ongoing since February 28, 2026) Aircraft Lost One F-15E Strike Eagle (494th Fighter Squadron, RAF Lakenheath) + one A-10C Thunderbolt II F-15E Crew Two (pilot + WSO)...
The Pilots Who Flew Under the Eiffel Tower
Quick Facts The WWII Pass Multiple Allied pilots flew under the Eiffel Tower during the Liberation of Paris (August 1944) Most Famous WWII Pilot William Overstreet Jr., P-51C Mustang “Berlin Express,” chasing a Bf 109 (1944) The 1991 Pass Serge Dassault and two...
Fox One, Fox Two, Fox Three — Decoded
Quick Facts Fox One Semi-active radar-guided missile launch (e.g. AIM-7 Sparrow) Fox Two Infrared/heat-seeking missile launch (e.g. AIM-9 Sidewinder) Fox Three Active radar-guided missile launch (e.g. AIM-120 AMRAAM) Origin NATO brevity code system (BREVITY...
F-117 Shootdown: The Night Stealth Died
Quick Facts Date March 27, 1999 Aircraft Lockheed F-117A Nighthawk (serial 82-0806, callsign “Vega 31”) Pilot Lt. Col. Dale Zelko, USAF Weapon Isayev S-125 Neva/Pechora (NATO: SA-3 Goa) surface-to-air missile Fired By 3rd Battery, 250th Air Defence Missile Brigade,...
Afterburners: The Controlled Explosion Behind Every Fighter
Quick Facts What It Is A secondary combustion system that injects raw fuel into a jet engine’s exhaust Thrust Increase 40–70% above maximum dry (non-afterburning) thrust Fuel Penalty Fuel consumption roughly triples during afterburner use Duration Typically sustained...
Spitfire’s First Flight Changed Everything
Quick Facts Aircraft Supermarine Type 300 (prototype K5054) First Flight March 5, 1936, Eastleigh Aerodrome (now Southampton Airport) Test Pilot Captain Joseph “Mutt” Summers Designer R.J. Mitchell, Supermarine Aviation Works Engine Rolls-Royce Merlin C (990 hp, later...
SR-71’s Final Speed Record Still Stands
Quick Facts Aircraft Lockheed SR-71A Blackbird (tail number 61-7972) Record Los Angeles to Washington, D.C. in 64 minutes 20 seconds Date March 6, 1990 (final operational flight) Distance 2,299 miles (3,701 km) Average Speed 2,145 mph (Mach 3.2+) Crew Lt. Col. Ed...
Night Witches: Soviet Women Who Bombed by Moonlight
Quick Facts Unit 588th Night Bomber Regiment, Soviet Air Forces Nickname Nachthexen (“Night Witches”) — given by terrified German soldiers Aircraft Polikarpov Po-2 biplane (1920s design, wood and canvas) Personnel All-female — pilots, navigators, mechanics, commanders...
Five Emergency Drills Every Student Pilot Must Nail
Quick Facts Who Needs This Every student pilot — and every rusty private pilot who hasn’t practised lately Why It Matters Emergency procedures are tested on every checkride and save lives in real emergencies The Five Drills Engine failure after takeoff, engine failure...
Read a METAR Like a Pilot in Five Minutes
Quick Facts What It Stands For METeorological Aerodrome Report Format Standardised worldwide by ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) Updated Every hour (or more frequently via SPECI reports for significant changes) Used By Every pilot, every flight, every...
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